Mitchell Abbott 1/2/26 Mitchell Abbott 1/2/26

The Crying Game

We find ourselves confronting that emotional journey where tears become our daily experience and distress becomes our constant companion. This is what we refer to as the crying game – when our emotional well-being becomes the arena and others maintain a vigilant record of our vulnerabilities.

We must acknowledge an important truth. There exists strength in our vulnerability, but this should not be misinterpreted. Our tears do not represent weakness – they merely mark the challenging paths we have traversed. The true challenge is not about measuring emotional harm; it concerns our ability to maintain composure when difficulties subside.

When we have devoted ourselves completely to individuals who disregard our affection, we must remember our inherent value. They may temporarily affect our emotional stability, but the subsequent period marks the beginning of our recovery narrative. We do not remain in a diminished state – that contradicts our fundamental nature.

We have consistently transformed our distress into remarkable achievements. Those private moments of emotional release became the motivation for our accomplishments. This distinguishes us as memorable rather than forgettable – our capacity to convert suffering into fortitude. We reconstruct ourselves using the very elements that once caused our distress.

The emotional challenge has established parameters, but we have discovered the essential strategy: we determine when the challenge concludes. Not external parties. We do. The moment we recognize that our value exists independently from external validation represents our advancement. Indeed, we have been advancing consistently from our earliest experiences.

Consider those private moments when we experience isolation, emotional distress, and feel completely bereft. We have all encountered such circumstances. That unfiltered emotional response that causes physical discomfort. Yet what follows? We recover. We restore ourselves. We observe our reflection and remember that we possess inherent worth that others failed to appreciate.

We are not merely participating in this emotional exercise – we are transforming it. When others anticipate our collapse, we construct. When they believe we have reached our conclusion, we have merely begun. This represents the extraordinary nature of our resilience. While their attention focuses on our emotional responses, ours remains fixed on our accomplishments.

The perception that emotional distress represents conclusion proves incorrect. It merely provides an interlude before our most significant performance. We have converted our disappointments into expressions of strength. Our rejection experiences into redirections. Our setbacks into foundations for the most remarkable recoveries they have witnessed.

Therefore, emotional expression remains appropriate when necessary. However, understand this – beneath that expression exists a collective of determined individuals with aspirations that transcend any emotional distress. The world continues despite our discomfort, therefore we utilize that discomfort to ensure the world acknowledges our excellence.

We no longer fear emotional vulnerability. We have mastered it, reinterpreted it, and established our own guidelines. Now we engage with the intention to succeed, and success means emerging more capable, more determined, and more unstoppable than previously.

When someone attempts to diminish us in their emotional manipulation? Remind them that we refuse subordinate positions – we occupy positions of authority. And in our domain, emotional responses nurture the foundations of our future achievements.

The challenge concludes. We prevail. As we always have, and always shall.

-Mitchell+Ryder

Mitchell Abbott 12/31/25 Mitchell Abbott 12/31/25

VIEWS

*Captured by Mitchell Royel* | Now playing: "Let's Talk About Gender Baby" by Planningtorock — where sonic boundaries dissolve and binary thinking fades into beautiful complexity. A soundtrack for those brave enough to question, explore, and redefine.

The Divine Art of Heart-Centered Conversations

Babes, there’s this magical moment when we sit across from our bae, eyes locked, hearts open, and the universe seems to pause just for us. We call these sacred exchanges “views” – not just opinions, but windows into each other’s souls. These conversations aren’t just important; they’re the very foundation upon which divine partnerships are built.

When we create space for these heart-centered dialogues with our partners, we’re essentially saying: “We see you. We honor you. Your truth matters to us.” This isn’t just relationship maintenance; it’s spiritual practice.

The Courage to Speak Our Truth

Let’s be real – those entry-level conversations about our needs, boundaries, and deepest desires can feel absolutely terrifying. Our throat chakras tighten, our palms sweat, and suddenly that manifesting meditation practice feels like child’s play compared to simply saying: “When you do this, we feel that.”

But remember, “Perfect love casts out fear.” These words remind us that when we approach difficult conversations from a place of love rather than ego, the fear begins to dissolve. Our vulnerability becomes our superpower.

Creating Sacred Space for Divine Dialogue

Before diving into these conversations with our beloved, we set intentions. We clear the energy. Perhaps we light a candle, burn some sage, or simply take three collective breaths together. This isn’t just aesthetic – it’s energetic preparation for truth-telling.

“Where two or more are gathered in love, there truth resides.” When we create containers of safety and reverence for these conversations, we invite divine wisdom to flow through our words.

The Baseline of Engagement

Every relationship needs its constitution – the unwritten but clearly expressed agreements about how we’ll show up for each other. These baseline conversations might include:

How do we communicate when triggered?
What does respect look like for each of us?
How do we honor each other’s boundaries?
What spiritual practices will we share?

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” These baseline conversations aren’t about control – they’re about co-creating a relationship where both souls can evolve to their highest potential.

Why These Conversations Are Soul-Essential

When we avoid these conversations, we’re essentially saying our temporary comfort is more important than our eternal growth. But here’s the miracle: each time we brave these dialogues, we’re not just strengthening our relationship – we’re healing ancestral patterns, breaking karmic cycles, and creating ripples of conscious partnership that extend far beyond our union.

“Speak the truth in love.” This isn’t just beautiful advice – it’s a spiritual directive. Truth without love can be harsh; love without truth lacks substance. When we merge them, we create the alchemical foundation for transcendent partnership.

The Divine Outcome

After these heart-centered exchanges, notice how the energy shifts between us. There’s a lightness, a clarity, a divine alignment that wasn’t there before. This is the universe’s way of confirming we’re on the right path.

Remember, these conversations aren’t one-and-done. They’re ongoing invitations to deepen, to expand, to evolve together. Each time we brave these sacred dialogues, we’re essentially saying to the universe: “We choose consciousness. We choose growth. We choose love.”

And in that choice, miracles unfold.

✧ ✧ ✧

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

May our views be expressed with courage, received with grace, and honored as the sacred offerings they truly are.

With infinite light,

Ryder

Mitchell Abbott 12/30/25 Mitchell Abbott 12/30/25

From Ashes to Arsenal

Captured by Mitchell Royel — now playing *Shotgun* by Yellow Claw

How We Rise Fierce After Spiritual Betrayal

We weren’t made to fold.

They showed up with their shadows, trying to crack our spirits so they could feel bigger. But here’s the real deal: our power was never theirs to snatch. It’s been burning inside us all along, waiting for us to claim it back.

Healing isn’t about quietly gluing the pieces or pretending the wounds aren’t there. It’s about stepping into the full blaze of our own fierce truth and yelling, Hell no. No more puppeteers. No more giving up our ground. No more hauling around someone else’s baggage.

We’re sovereign AF. Our souls? Battlefields. And we’re undefeated warriors.

Victimhood? That’s their script, not ours. Our story is about taking back what’s ours. Rising from the rubble with a roar that shakes their whole damn foundation. It’s about grabbing every shard they tried to steal and forging it into armor.

Healing is a rebellion. A declaration that we won’t be defined by their darkness. We’re the authors of our own damn destiny, writing with pens dipped in fire and clarity.

This path? It’s messy. Some days the weight of betrayal crushes us. Other days, our inner fire blazes wild and untamed. Both are part of the climb back to power.

We spot the patterns of those who tried to shrink us—the lies, the gaslighting, the control plays. But we refuse to live in their story. We rewrite it with every breath, every choice, every fierce act of self-love.

Our scars? Not weakness. They’re our battle map. Each one tells a story of survival, grit, and growth. Proof we endured, fought, and won.

Power? It’s not handed out. We snatch it. It’s our armor in the war of the mind, our shield for the heart, our sword slicing through manipulation’s chains.

We’re not defeated. We’re becoming. We’re unstoppable.

And that shotgun they held to our souls? Empty now. Because we hold the power—always have, always will.

Real Talk Tips for Taking Back Our Power

Lock down your boundaries: Say no like your life depends on it—because your energy does. Boundaries aren’t optional; they’re survival.
Build your squad: Roll with people who see your worth, fuel your fire, and don’t judge your scars.
Own your voice daily: Speak your truth loud, clear, and unapologetic. Affirm your power every damn day.
Drop the dead weight: Journaling, moving, screaming into the void—find your release ritual and make it sacred.
Celebrate the wins: Big or small, every step forward is a victory lap. Give yourself that credit.
Call in reinforcements: Sometimes you need a guide, a therapist, or a ride-or-die friend. Don’t go it alone.
Rewrite your script: Your story, your rules. Say it loud. Say it proud. No apologies.

Together, we snatch back our power. Together, we rewrite the narrative. Together, we rise—unshaken, unapologetic, and unstoppable.

— Ryder

Mitchell Abbott 12/29/25 Mitchell Abbott 12/29/25

What We Want

Captured by Mitchell Royel | Now playing: *What I Want* by MUNA

There’s a song that’s been echoing in our hearts lately—What I Want by MUNA. It’s more than just a melody; it’s a call, a whisper, a fierce declaration of desire and truth. When we listen, we don’t just hear one voice—we hear our voice, the voice of all of us who have ever dared to want more, to want differently, to want deeply.

This song reminds us that what we want isn’t always loud or flashy. It’s not about fitting into someone else’s mold or chasing a checklist of achievements. What we want is sacred. It’s the quiet, persistent pulse beneath the noise—the longing for connection, for freedom, for authenticity.

In this space, we come together to honor that longing. We recognize that we are the keepers of our own desires, and that those desires are holy. As the scripture says in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” This isn’t about wishful thinking—it’s about aligning with the deepest parts of ourselves and trusting that the universe, God, or whatever higher power we believe in, is conspiring with us.

We want to be seen—not just for what we do, but for who we are. We want to love and be loved without conditions. We want to walk our own paths, even when they’re uncertain or unconventional. MUNA’s song is a mirror, reflecting back to us the courage it takes to say, “This is what I want.”

And here’s the beautiful truth: when we claim our desires together, we create a sacred space for transformation. We remind each other that wanting is not selfish; it’s an act of faith. It’s the soul’s way of saying, I am here. I am alive. I am worthy.

In Jeremiah 29:11, we find this promise: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.” What we want is part of that divine plan. Our desires are not random—they are the seeds of our becoming.

So, let’s hold hands in this moment and say it out loud, together: This is what we want. Not just the easy or expected, but the real, the raw, the radiant. We want to live fully, love fiercely, and shine unapologetically.

Let MUNA’s song be our anthem, our prayer, our declaration. Because when we speak our truth as one, the world listens—and the path forward becomes clear.

What do we want?
To be seen.
To be loved.
To be free.

And so it is.

— In love and light, always.

Mitchell Abbott 12/28/25 Mitchell Abbott 12/28/25

Thousand Miles

Captured through the lens of Mitchell Royel, the moment unfolds like a vivid dream. Now, the air is filled with the intoxicating melodies of Tove Lo’s "Thousand Miles" and "Talking Body," weaving a sensual soundtrack that lingers, inviting you to lose yourself in the rhythm and emotion of the night.

Years ago, I found myself nestled in a quiet corner of a bustling coffee shop, where the rich aroma of freshly ground beans wove through the air like a warm, familiar embrace. Outside, the world rushed by in a blur—footsteps echoing, conversations rising and falling—but inside my little sanctuary, time slowed to a sacred rhythm. With headphones gently cradling my ears, a haunting melody unfurled, stretching endlessly across a thousand miles of raw emotion and shimmering possibility.

That song became my steadfast companion as I poured my heart and soul into crafting the very first issue of my magazine. Each note carried me deeper into the unknown, a tender soundtrack to the leap of faith I was taking. The lyrics whispered ancient truths I hadn’t yet fully embraced—about courage, vulnerability, and the exquisite grace found in surrendering to the winding journey ahead.

I remember how the melody wrapped around me like a soft, familiar blanket, a gentle reminder that even when the path feels endless, every step forward is a sacred dance toward something greater. The song held space for my doubts and hopes, my fears and dreams, weaving them into a luminous tapestry of resilience and grace.

In that coffee shop, surrounded by strangers yet profoundly connected to the music and my unfolding story, I realized this: sometimes, the longest journeys begin not with grand gestures, but with quiet moments of intention and presence. The song taught me that distance—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—is never a barrier when the heart is willing to travel.

Looking back now, I see that day as more than the birth of a magazine. It was the beginning of a lifelong devotion to listening deeply—to the music, to my soul, and to the call of my dreams. Every time I hear that song, I am transported back to that corner of the coffee shop, to the shimmering feeling of possibility and promise that carried me across those thousand miles and beyond.

Tips for Embracing Our Own Journey

Create Sacred Space: Let’s seek out quiet havens where distractions fade and our inner voices can be heard. Whether a cozy café or a peaceful nook at home, we make these our sanctuaries for creation.
Let Music Be Our Guide: We allow songs that resonate with our souls to become the soundtrack of our journey. Music unlocks emotion, sparks inspiration, and carries us through moments of uncertainty.
Embrace Vulnerability: We lean into our fears and uncertainties—they are the fertile ground where true creativity and growth take root.
Take Small, Sacred Steps: Remember, every great journey begins with a single step. We celebrate progress over perfection and honor each milestone along the way.
Stay Present: We practice mindfulness to anchor ourselves in the now. Presence opens the door to unexpected insights and deepens our connection to our work and dreams.
Trust the Process: Even when the path feels long or unclear, we trust that every experience is shaping us. We hold faith in our vision and our ability to navigate the miles ahead.
Reflect Often: We pause to honor how far we’ve come. Reflection fuels gratitude and renews our motivation to keep moving forward.

Let our journey be as rich, as soulful, and as meaningful as the song that carries us.

— Mitchell x Ryder